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The US Bitcoin Spot ETFs have experienced a resurgence in market inflows following an extended period of overwhelming withdrawals amid a deep price correction. The positive netflows recorded last week represent the first in six trading weeks, five of which resulted in total net outflows valued at $3.8 billion. Notably, the rebound in ETF inflows is independent of Bitcoin’s choppy price action, indicating that institutional investors may be building positions for a potential market recovery.

Bitcoin Spot ETFs End February On Red Note Despite Late Surge

According to data from SoSoValue, investors deposited an excess of $787.31 million in the Bitcoin Spot ETFs between February 23 and 27, representing a positive ending to a rather turbulent trading month. Despite this late market rally, February still reported total net outflows of $206.52 million, representing the fourth consecutive negative monthly performance.

With respect to the last trading week, BlackRock’s IBIT recorded a staggering net deposit of $502.99 million, accounting for a significant portion of investors’ bullish activity. The undisputed market leader now boasts of total cumulative net inflows of $61.81 billion within 28 trading months. Interestingly, Grayscale’s GBTC emerged as a distant runner-up with aggregate inflows of around $89.43 million, and remains the third largest Bitcoin Spot ETFs with net assets of $10.29 billion.

Meanwhile, Bitwise’s BITB also recorded a standout performance with net inflows of $68.30 million, representing its first in three trading weeks. Fidelity’s FBTC, Grayscale’s BTC, Ark Invest/21 Shares, and VanEck’s HODL also experienced significant net deposits, ranging between $19 million to $34 million. On the other hand, Invesco’s BTCO and Franklin Templeton’s EZBC registered minimal net inflows of around $2m -$3 million, while Hashdex’s DEFI, WisdomTree’s BTCW, and Valkryie’s BRRR reported zero netflows.

At the time of writing, the total cumulative netflows of the Bitcoin Spot ETFs are $54.80 billion, while total net assets are now valued at $83.40 billion, representing 6.36% of the Bitcoin market cap. Meanwhile, Bitcoin continues to trade at $66,504.55, reflecting a 3.82% gain in the past day.

Ethereum Spot ETFs Record First Green Performance In 6 Weeks

Alongside their Bitcoin counterparts, the Ethereum Spot ETFs also experienced a turnaround in investor activity over the last week. More data from SoSoValue shows these investment funds registered a total netflow of $80.46 million, to terminate a five-week negative streak that began in mid-January. Total cumulative inflows for the Ethereum ETFs are now valued at $11.60 billion, while net assets are estimated at $10.96 billion.

According to a recent report, Hyperliquid saw the surge in trading volume over the weekend, as it became the venue to bet on commodities and other traditional asset classes. Following the escalation of tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Bitcoin and the crypto market succumbed to significant downward pressure.

However, the crypto market wasn’t the only asset class that saw trader activity on Saturday, February 28, as perpetual swap futures tied to various commodities on Hyperliquid also witnessed significant price action. These moves offered some insight into what to expect when the global financial markets open on Monday.

Hyperliquid Trading Volume Surges For Traditional Assets

According to the latest market data, perpetual swap futures of commodities, including oil, gold, and silver, saw significant jumps in their prices on Saturday. This price rise was triggered by the military actions of the United States and Israel against Iran, who responded on the day by targeting specific US assets in the Middle East.

Specifically, the price of oil jumped by more than 5%, as Iran threatened to restrict the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a body of water that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and it controls ~20% of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption.

The Strait of Hormuz situation:

Reuters is now reporting that Iran is notifying vessels that it is CLOSING the Strait of Hormuz.

If officially closed, 20+ MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY will be impacted, or 20% of global supply.

What’s next? Let us explain.

(a thread) pic.twitter.com/GPFaNVKUsW

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) February 28, 2026

Unsurprisingly, these price rises were backed by significant volume, as traders looked for war risk hedges in Hyperliquid’s round-the-clock perp market. Market data shows that silver led activity among the commodity-linked perps on the exchange, with over $227 in trading volume on Saturday. Meanwhile, the gold perpetual swap futures recorded a trading volume of approximately $173 million on the day.

The events of the past weekend and the ensuing market activity has reopened the conversations around round-the-clock trading for all asset classes. According to a Bloomberg report, Wall Street is becoming more attentive to platforms like Hyperliquid, where users are allowed to create perpetual futures tied to broader assets, including equities and commodities.

Jake Ostrovskis, head of over-the-counter trading at Wintermute, told Bloomberg:

As Middle East tensions escalated, crypto sold off and because Bitcoin trades 24/7, it became the most liquid asset available for traders looking to hedge or express a view on the move. The fact that BTC is acting as a proxy for broader risk being the only market open is exactly why more asset classes, commodities included and need to move to 24/7 trading. Round-the-clock price discovery is a structural upgrade for market efficiency, and we’re heading in the right direction.

Ultimately, this growing conversation around round-the-clock somewhat ties into recent efforts by the large financial institutions to embrace tokenization.

HYPE Price Jumps 20%

As a result of the activity and volume surge, the price of HYPE, Hyperliquid’s native token, enjoyed a bullish resurgence of nearly 20% on Saturday. As of this writing, the cryptocurrency is vaued at about $30.5.

Компания Tether, эмитент стейблкоинов USDT, заморозила эти токены на сумму около $4,2 млрд за последние три года, объяснив «подозрительной деятельностью кошельков». Большая часть замороженных средств пришлась на 2023–2025 годы.

Bitcoin has reacted as expected to the conflict between the United States and Iran, continuing a pattern that has always appeared during previous geopolitical escalations. Crypto prices are digesting the latest developments, and analysts are comparing the current price structure to similar moments in 2022 and 2023, when Bitcoin initially sold off before staging strong recoveries.

War Headlines And The 20%-40% Rally Pattern

Recent geopolitical tensions are coming at an already fragile period for the crypto market. Bitcoin is already down 48% from its all-time high and is on track to close its fifth consecutive red monthly candle. The leading cryptocurrency has also recorded its worst start to the first two months of a year, falling 24% since January. February closed 14.8% below its open, making it the third-worst February in Bitcoin’s history. The only weaker Februarys were in 2025, when Bitcoin closed 17.5% below its open and in 2014, when the monthly close was 33% below its open.

Crypto analyst Ted Pillows shared a weekly chart depicting how Bitcoin behaved during previous diplomatic escalations. In February 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine, Bitcoin dropped before rallying approximately 40% in the months that followed. In June 2025, after Israel attacked Iran, Bitcoin was initially sold off again, but it later recovered about 25%.

Now, following US strikes on Iran on Saturday, Bitcoin has once again reacted to the downside. The question raised by Pillows is whether the same post-shock recovery pattern will play out again.

Bitcoin Price Chart. Source: @TedPillows On X

Another analyst, Sherlock, focused on shorter-term reactions. He noted that during past US or Israeli strikes on Iran, Bitcoin typically fell sharply over the weekend and recovered within 24 to 48 hours.

In April 2024, after Iran struck Israel, Bitcoin dropped 8% overnight and recovered within two days. In October 2024, a 3% drop was erased within 24 hours.

In June 2025, US strikes led to a 6% decline that was recovered by Sunday, followed by a 62% rally over the next two months to new all-time highs in October. Interestingly, the initial move lower in each case occurred before traditional financial markets reopened.

Market Already Deeply Corrected

It is important to note that the current setup is different from prior episodes because Bitcoin was already in a strong uptrend during the 2025 geopolitical shock. Today’s market structure looks very different, as Bitcoin has been in a prolonged drawdown for five months.

Bitcoin’s weekly RSI is currently at the lowest level in its history. The Fear & Greed Index has also been in extreme fear for 22 consecutive days. Furthermore, leveraged positions have been heavily reduced, with open interest at low readings.

Panic selling in previous instances followed the geopolitical event itself. This time, however, much of the forced selling and deleveraging appears to have occurred before the strike. Based on this caveat, weak hands have largely exited and excess leverage has already been cleared. Therefore, Bitcoin may not sustain prolonged downside from the tensions and could stabilize sooner than in previous episodes.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Общий размер убытков от хакерских атак и уязвимостей в феврале оказался самым низким за месяц с марта 2025 года — около $37,7 млн, подсчитали аналитики компании CertiK. Это на 60% меньше, чем в январе.

Throughout February, the Bitcoin price barely showed real hopes of a trend shift from its stark bearish structure. However, in the last day, the flagship cryptocurrency has witnessed a modest amount of buying momentum, which might suggest an incoming short-term rebound, despite the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. However, data from a recent on-chain analysis has revealed a contrary perspective to this speculation.

Illiquid Supply Dominates Bitcoin Market

In their latest Quicktake post on CryptoQuant, the analytics group, Arab Chain, highlights that the liquid supply of Bitcoin on the Binance exchange has recently increased significantly. This post hinges on data obtained from the BTC Binance Liquid Vs Illiquid Supply Model. For context, this metric measures how much Bitcoin held on Binance is readily tradable (liquid) as against the amount on the exchange that is inactive or intended to be held long-term (illiquid).

Arab Chain reveals in the post that Binance currently holds a total of around 670,000 BTC in its reserves. Of that amount, approximately 83,000 BTC stands as the liquid supply, and about 587,000 BTC exists as an illiquid supply, placing the liquidity ratio at around 12%. It is also worth noting that the current liquid supply portion stands close to levels that were last seen in 2024.

Nonetheless, this uptick in liquid supply still falls within a broader story: Binance’s Bitcoin reserves remain overwhelmingly illiquid. The analyst explains that this behavior,  where illiquidity surmounts liquidity, is often associated with less-active holdings, or relatively long-term positions, even as they are held on Binance. 

Because illiquid supply is disproportionately higher than liquid supply, there is a counterbalance between expected sell pressure and the unmoving hands. This existing stability, according to Arab Chain, is due mostly to the fact that the readily available amount of Bitcoin pales in comparison to the total amount of BTC on the platform.

 

Rising Liquid Supply Signals Increasing Market Readiness

However, it remains that the liquid supply on Binance is steadily climbing, as it recently reached 2024 levels. As Arab Chain points out, liquid supply is more reactive to speculative activity and tends to expand alongside trading activity. Conversely, liquid supply often shrinks as the market enters periods of calmness or repositioning.

Hence, while this is not a direct signal of bearish intent, the current growth in liquid supply to 2024 levels suggests that Bitcoin traders are preparing for imminent volatility. It could also mean that investors are reallocating their positions or positioning in expectations of future price movements.

If this rise in liquid supply is followed by increasing sell pressure, it could be the signal to expect ensuing distribution. On the other hand, if demand should absorb the additional supply currently entering the market, the Bitcoin price could continue on its recovery journey. At press time, Bitcoin trades for $67,604, reflecting a 2.97% gain in 24 hours.

На фоне ударов США и Израиля по Ирану в выходные, когда традиционные биржи не работают, трейдеры начали искать другие площадки для торговли активами. Активность выросла на децентрализованной блокчейн-платформе Hyperliquid, предлагающей круглосуточные токенизированные контракты на нефть, золото, серебро и другие цифровые версии традиционных активов.

Over the weekend, the Bitcoin price and the crypto market witnessed significant pressure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. After reports of Israeli strikes on Iran, the premier cryptocurrency dropped below $64,000 while dragging the rest of the market along with it.

While the price of BTC seems to have recovered from the conflict-induced slump, there is still the small issue of its broader structure. According to a market expert, Bitcoin may have avoided a negative outcome after holding above $60,000 over the weekend.

BTC Price Closes February Above Pivotal Support

In a recent post on the X platform, Chartered Market Technician Tony Severino shared an insight into the current technical outlook of the Bitcoin price as February came to a close. According to the crypto market expert, the flagship cryptocurrency appears to have bounced back from a crucial support level around the $60,000.

Severino’s analysis is based on the ascending channel pattern on the Bitcoin price chart on the monthly timeframe. An ascending channel is a pattern in technical analysis marked by two major (upward-sloping) trendlines: the upper line connecting the swing highs and the lower line connecting the swing lows.

As seen in the chart above, the asset usually trades within an ascending channel, with the upper boundary line often functioning as a barrier to further growth and the lower trendline serving as a support cushion. Investors can trade between the pattern’s support and resistance levels or after price breaks out (bullish signal) or breaks down (bearish signal).

In the market leader’s case, the price has been approaching the lower trendline for the majority of February, implying that a major decision was imminent. According to Severino, the Bitcoin price has never closed beneath this lower boundary, even during the COVID crash in 2020.

Unsurprisingly, the premier cryptocurrency rebounded from the support cushion around $63,000, recovering from the early-weekend slump triggered by the ongoing clash between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Typically, the next target after this bounce-back is the channel’s midline, which could be as high as $475,000.

While historical data and patterns are often good ways to predict future market movements, Severino acknowledged that the chance of the Bitcoin price soaring to as high as $475,000 is indeed slim. Moreover, the current price structure is still bearish, meaning that the market conditions would need to improve for the flagship cryptocurrency to take advantage of this rebound.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $67,919, reflecting an almost 3% increase in the past 24 hours.

Шесть кошельков на блокчейн-платформе прогнозов Polymarket заработали в совокупности около $1 млн на ставках о военном ударе США и Израиля по Ирану. Большинство аккаунтов были созданы всего за сутки до атаки, сообщили аналитики компании Bubblemaps.

The conversation around real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is heating up, and the numbers are staggering. After digital asset securities firm Securitize highlighted the potential for a $400 trillion global asset market to move on-chain, attention quickly shifted to the blockchains positioned to support that scale. The XRP ecosystem, specifically the XRP Ledger, is increasingly being discussed as a possible infrastructure layer for this next phase of financial digitization.

How The XRP Ledger Supports Asset Tokenization

Crypto commentator Archie is sounding the alarm for the XRP community, pointing to Securitize teasing a massive $400 trillion real-world asset (RWA) opportunity that could reshape global finance and potentially position the XRP Ledger at the center of the shift. According to Archie’s post on X, a recent update from the tokenization giant stated that only about $25 billion in assets have been tokenized, with an estimated $400 trillion in traditional assets. 

This includes global stocks, bonds, real estate, private funds, and other traditional instruments that are still sitting on outdated ledgers and are all ready to move on-chain. Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo has repeatedly emphasized the figure, framing it as the total addressable market for tokenization. The thesis is that tokenization can deliver instant settlement, 24/7 trading, fractional ownership, and enhanced liquidity.

A key part of this narrative involves Securitize integration efforts with the Ripple ecosystem, including its RLUSD partnership, which connects institutional tokenized assets with the Ledger. Meanwhile, major institutional products such as BlackRock’s BUIDL and VanEck’s VBILL, with other large institutional funds, are already tokenized on the Ledger. Users can now swap holdings into RLUSD on Securitize’s platform, a development that could channel utility and flow directly into the XRPL network.

Archie highlighted that the Ledger’s fast settlement speeds, low transaction fees, and native compliance features make it suitable for institutional adoption. Thus, if a fraction of these project trillions in real-world assets were to settle natively on XRPL, it could significantly boost demand for the token through liquidity provisioning and transaction fees.

Framing the development as more than speculation, Archie describes the ongoing tokenization push as a structural shift in global finance that could lead to one of the largest wealth transfers in modern history.

Why The Token Could Rise Parabolically Instead Of Gradually

The future trajectory of XRP may not rise gradually like other cryptocurrencies. Instead, it could explode parabolically as seen during the 2017 bull cycle. An analyst known as Ripple Mother has noted that with the right market conditions and adoption, the altcoin could potentially surge above $100 within a single day, delivering gains of over 30,000% and dramatically reshape the broader crypto market.

Former Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz has addressed speculation that the crypto firm can block transactions on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). He explained the only way this could happen amid claims that the network is centralized. 

Ripple CTO Emeritus Explains How An XRP Transaction Can Be Blocked

In an X post, the former Ripple CTO said that there is no way to prevent valid transactions on the XRP Ledger unless users agree to change the validity rules to make them invalid. Schwartz made this statement in response to whether Ripple or he, as one of the original developers, can freeze a wallet and prevent a transaction. 

Meanwhile, in response to who can unlock and lock escrows, the former Ripple CTO said that anyone who wants to escrow tokens can lock them in escrow. Once an escrow expires, anyone can unlock it. Schwartz also addressed claims that the XRPL Ledger was centralized because Ripple has a “Unique Node List,” which effectively makes the validators permissioned.

The former Ripple CTO described the claims that the crypto firm could have absolute power and control of the chain as “objectively nonsensical.” He noted that this is similar to claiming that someone with a majority of mining power can create a billion BTC. Justin Bons, Cyber Capital’s founder, who made the claim, explained that he meant Ripple could double-spend or censor the network, similar to someone holding a majority of mining power on the Bitcoin network.

Schwartz rebutted this claim, stating that the XRP Ledger and Bitcoin don’t work the same. He noted that on the XRPL, one can count the number of validators that agree with one’s node. The former Ripple CTO added that a node will not agree to double-spend or censor unless there is a particular reason why the validator wants to do so. 

XRPL ‘Carefully’ Designed To Be Decentralized

The former Ripple CTO reiterated that they carefully and intentionally designed the XRP Ledger so that they could not control it. He explained that they did so, given the regulatory environment and practical realities of being a company and having investors. As such, there was no guarantee that they would always have control over their own actions. 

Schwartz gave an example of how Ripple must honor U.S. court orders, as it cannot refuse such requests. As such, they decided from the onset that they did not want control over the XRP Ledger and that it would be to their benefit not to have control. He also mentioned that it would not make sense if Ripple ever censored transactions or double-spent, even if they had the power to do so, because if they ever did, it would destroy trust in the XRPL.   

Featured image from GitHub, chart from TradingView

British gamblers searching for ways to bet with cryptocurrency are more likely to end up on an illegal website than a regulated one. That is part of what prompted the UK Gambling Commission to start asking whether something needs to change.

Tim Miller, the regulator’s executive director for research and policy, told an industry gathering in London last Thursday that the Commission now wants to look seriously at allowing crypto to be used as a payment method at licensed online gambling platforms in Great Britain.

Illegal Sites Are Driving The Conversation

Miller’s case for taking another look at crypto payments was not built purely on demand, though he acknowledged that appetite among bettors is growing. He made the remarks during the Betting and Gaming Council’s annual general assembly.

The more pointed argument was about where that demand currently goes. According to reports, Miller told attendees that crypto ranks among the two most common search terms that lead British gamblers straight to unregulated, illegal sites.

Blocking crypto from licensed platforms, in other words, may be sending consumers somewhere far less protected rather than discouraging them altogether.

That framing marks a shift. For years, the default position from regulators has been that crypto and gambling together create too much risk. Miller’s comments suggest the Gambling Commission is now weighing whether the bigger risk is doing nothing.

No deadline was attached to the review. Miller said he had asked the Industry Forum — an advisory group made up of representatives from across the gambling sector — to map out the available options.

Whatever path is chosen, he made clear it would come with strict conditions. Affordability checks, suitability assessments, and full compliance with UK gambling rules would all still apply. Accepting crypto would not give casinos any special treatment or exemptions.

A Bigger Regulatory Framework Sets The Timeline

The Gambling Commission’s exploration does not exist in isolation. Any move toward crypto payments at licensed venues would be tied directly to the Financial Conduct Authority’s new crypto oversight framework, which is currently being finalized.

According to reports, the FCA is expected to wrap up its consultation process in March, with the full regime set to take effect in October 2027. Companies wanting to operate under the new rules will need to seek authorization from the FCA, with the application window expected to open in September 2026.

Crypto firms that miss that window face a more restricted path. Reports say they would be allowed to continue running existing products under transitional rules but would not be permitted to roll out new offerings until full authorization is granted.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin’s long-term structure has always been examined through the perspective of its halving cycle, and one crypto pundit believes the pattern is pointing to a clear price bottom. 

The analysis centers on a recurring time-based rhythm tied to each halving event, and it proposes a specific window for when accumulation could begin again. Crypto pundit Blockchainedbb projected that the Bitcoin phase may be heading into another structured reset phase that drags on for a while, and it may not be until Q4 2024 before the best time for buying BTC presents itself.

The Bitcoin 135-Week Rule Before Halving

The timing framework is based on a recurring pattern observed ahead of Bitcoin’s halving events, highlighted by pundit Blockchainedbb. According to his analysis, each previous major Bitcoin cycle price low formed somewhere around 135 weeks before a halving takes place.

The weekly chart shared in the analysis shows previous halving dates, including May 11, 2020, and April 19, 2024, and overlays green accumulation zones around profitable long-term entry points. Price compression into those zones in previous cycles came before explosive upside moves that eventually led to new all-time highs.

Applying the same calculation forward, Blockchainedbb estimates that the next meaningful bottom could form in late Q4 of this year. The projected price range for that bottom is between $50,000 and $58,000. This range is derived by extrapolating the current cycle’s structure from the previous halving-era bottom.

If the pattern repeats itself again, that means Bitcoin will continue trading in a range of lower lows for most of the year, then position Q4 as the accumulation window before the next sustained uptrend of higher highs kicks in.

Q2 And Q3: A Trader’s Market

Under this approach, Q1 and Q4 are considered by the pundit as the primary windows for investors looking to build longer-term exposure. Q4 is seen as the likely bottoming phase, while Q1 is projected for investors to exit at an approximate price of $75,000. 

On the other hand, Bitcoin price history shows that the remaining quarters, Q2 and Q3, are environments better suited for active short-term traders than long-term holders. According to the pundit, Q2 and Q3 have always been characterized by directional moves and breakdowns below key technical levels, particularly the 200-week exponential moving average for altcoins. During these phases, short-term positioning and tactical trades tend to dominate.

Therefore, the most positive long-term technical outlook is for investors to wait for the more favorable structural window in the fourth quarter of 2026. As it stands, the next Bitcoin halving is projected to take place sometime in April 2028. It will happen at block height 850,000, reducing the block reward from 3.125 to 1.5625 BTC.

Prominent British multinational bank Barclays Plc is exploring the development of a blockchain platform to support payments, signaling a deeper push by traditional finance lenders into digital-asset technology. Notably, the move places Barclays alongside global rivals that are racing to modernize payment infrastructure amid rising adoption of blockchain products, especially stablecoin.

Barclays Mulls Blockchain Payments Infrastructure

According to a Friday report by Bloomberg, Barclays Plc is assessing the creation of a blockchain payment platform capable of supporting payments and settlement services, according to people familiar with the matter. The banking giant has sent out requests for information (RFIs) to prospective technology partners as part of its evaluation process and is aiming to select providers as early as April.

Barclays is exploring new offerings, and the potential use cases for the blockchain platform reportedly include stablecoin-based payments and tokenized deposits. Notably, this move aligns Barclays with peers that have already launched similar initiatives.

Last year, JPMorgan Chase & Co. launched its blockchain-based deposit token, JPM Coin, to serve institutional clients, enabling faster internal transfers and cross-border payments. Meanwhile, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, and Citigroup, alongside six other banks, have united to launch a jointly backed stablecoin. 

In January 2026, Barclays announced a strategic investment in Ubyx on January 7, 2026, marking its first direct stake in a US-based stablecoin settlement firm to develop regulated, tokenized money. With intentions to launch a blockchain payment platform, the UK bank looks to advance its interest in the digital asset ecosystems.

Stablecoins To Gain Momentum In Mainstream Payments

Without a doubt, stablecoins remain one of the most attractive blockchain products to traditional banks. These digital tokens, typically pegged to fiat currencies like the US dollar, are increasingly seen as a disruptive force in global payment.

In July 2025, US President Donald Trump assented to the GENIUS Act, thereby creating a regulatory framework that would encourage institutional participation in the stablecoin operations, among other benefits. 

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, stablecoins could account for more than $50 trillion in annual payments by 2030 if present adoption continues to accelerate. Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is predicting a total stablecoin market cap of $2 trillion by 2028 and $3 trillion by 2030.

At press time, the stablecoin market cap is valued at $315 billion based on data from CoinMarketCap. Tether’s USDT accounts for 60% of these figures with a market cap of $187 billion, followed by Circle’s USDC.

Recent on-chain data shows a significant increase in Bitcoin flowing into certain wallets, suggesting renewed accumulation. Despite experiencing months of bearish pressure and major sell-offs, some investors appear to be using the ongoing market downturn as an opportunity to strengthen their positions. With the recent accumulation ramp-up, the question remains whether now may be the time to get back into the market. 

Bitcoin Accumulation Rise Amidst Price Downturn

The Bitcoin price has been grinding lower in recent trading sessions, slipping below $64,000. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has failed to hold multiple support levels, with each leg down further suppressing any meaningful upside momentum.  

Related Reading: Expert Trader Who Correctly Predicted Bitcoin Top Just Shared A Chart Pointing Below $4,000

Yet beneath the surface of this declining price and market sell-offs, certain holders are quietly accumulating BTC. On-chain data from Glassnode reveals that over the past three weeks, so-called ‘old supply,’ which refers to wallets holding BTC that have sat dormant for at least six months, has risen by a whopping 188,000 BTC. This substantial amount of coins is valued at more than $12.75 billion.

Notably, the recent rise in BTC accumulation among old supply indicates that many seasoned investors are choosing to sit and hold their coins rather than sell into weakness, as many retail participants have been doing. The renewed accumulation also comes as whales continue to execute large-scale BTC withdrawals, with Whale Alert recently reporting a recent outflow of more than $266 million from exchanges.

Adding more fuel to the ongoing accumulation trend, Spot Bitcoin ETFs have recorded significant inflows. Data from SoSoValue shows that Bitcoin ETFs had attracted a combined inflow of $1.02 billion between February 24 and 26. This rise in demand further indicates that investors are now entering the market, likely positioning for a potential rebound. 

BTC Sell-Offs Show Signs Of Exhaustion

Prominent Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo has shared relatively good news, issuing a sobering outlook for BTC’s price. In a recent X post, Woo suggested that the market may be entering an extended period of weakness before any meaningful recovery takes shape. The bearish outlook comes as the analyst acknowledges that the recent wave of selling pressure from investors appears to have exhausted, potentially giving Bitcoin more room to consolidate sideways for about a month.

With the bearish sell-down easing, Woo predicts Bitcoin could initiate a brief rebound back to the mid-$70,000 range. However, he cautioned that such a recovery would likely be rejected. The analyst pointed to deteriorating liquidity across both spot and futures markets as a key reason for this rejection. He stated that he had never seen Bitcoin rally when both sources of liquidity were trending bearishly at the same time.

Looking further ahead, Woo projected that Bitcoin’s current bearish trend could persist well into the year, with a potential turning point expected to arrive sometime in Q4 2026. Subsequently, he suggested that BTC’s bullish momentum may also return in either Q1 or Q2 of 2027. 

On the question of how far current prices could fall, Woo estimated that a plunge to $45,000 could mark a bear market bottom for BTC. He also stated that if global macro breaks down, $30,000 could be the fallback support level, with $16,000 highlighted as the final line of defense to maintain Bitcoin’s bull trend.

Bitcoin has experienced another net loss over the past week, with the premier cryptocurrency struggling to reclaim key technical levels. Meanwhile, a recent market evaluation shows that while price action is volatile, it is largely range-trapped between $60,000 to $70,000.

Bitcoin’s $60,000 Shield: Long-Term Holders Refuse To Fold

In a recent QuickTake report, a pseudonymous analyst with the username GugaOnChain analyzed Bitcoin’s current market structure, describing a battle between long-term conviction and short-term pressure.  According to data from the on-chain platform, Bitcoin remains in a mature bear market, consistent with projections made in December 2025.

Analyst GugaOnChain noted that at the $60,000 support level, long-term holders are described as the primary defensive force. In particular,  the 12 -18-month UTXO cohort has grown from 9.67% to 11.09%, indicating that more Bitcoin is aging into long-term storage. 

This suggests strengthening conviction among holders who accumulated over a year ago and are choosing not to sell despite market weakness. However,  he notes that historical bear market bottoms have seen this cohort reach much higher levels (30-44%), implying that while structural support is forming. A definitive macro bottom may not yet be confirmed.

BTC’S Next Move Hinges On US Institutions Returning

Interestingly, a low Binary Coin Days Destroyed (CDD) reading of 0.14 reinforces the idea that older coins remain dormant. Long-term holders are not distributing or panic selling, effectively acting as a liquidity anchor that prevents a deeper collapse below $60,000. 

On the resistance side near $70,000, active whales holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC are identified as the main source of selling pressure. Their distribution directly counters long-term holders’ resilience and caps upward momentum. Meanwhile, the Coinbase Premium Index remains negative (-0.04), signaling weak US institutional demand and a broader macro environment marked by risk aversion. Without strong institutional inflows, the market lacks the catalyst needed for a sustained breakout.

Additionally, short-term holders are experiencing capitulation, reflected in an MVRV-STH (Market value to Realized value – Short-term holders) ratio of 0.74, meaning many are holding at a loss and exiting positions. Overall, this shows that Bitcoin is undergoing a cleansing phase. While long-term value is gradually emerging, sustainable upside depends on the return of US institutional demand and a shift in macro conditions.

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $63,823, reflecting a 5.75% jump in the past 24 hours. 

A piece of paper ruined everything. South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) published an official press release last Thursday meant to highlight its crackdown on tax dodgers — and somewhere in the process, a full wallet seed phrase was photographed, printed, and sent out to the public without anyone apparently noticing.

By the time someone did, $4.8 million worth of tokens had already walked out the door.

One Photo, One Mistake, Millions Gone

The press release included an image of a Ledger hardware wallet placed next to a handwritten sheet containing the wallet’s complete mnemonic phrase — the string of words that functions as the master key to any crypto wallet.

No blurring. No masking. Nothing. According to reports from Korean media outlets including Naver and Chosun, the release was part of a broader NTS enforcement campaign targeting people who owed taxes, with seized crypto assets shown as evidence of the agency’s work.

What was meant to showcase government action instead handed anyone with sharp eyes full access to the funds inside.

Blockchain researchers who examined the wallet’s transaction history found three separate incoming transfers totaling 4 million PRTG (Pre-Retogeum) tokens, followed by a single outgoing transfer that swept the entire balance to another address. Clean. Quick. Gone.

Researcher Says Actual Losses May Be Smaller Than They Appear

Associate professor Jaewoo Cho of Hansung University’s Blockchain Research Center confirmed the theft publicly on X, writing that the 4 million tokens — valued at roughly $4.8 million — were taken directly from the mnemonic phrase exposed in the NTS release.

국세청에서 보도자료로 유출(공개)한 니모닉에서 10시간 전에 PRTG 토큰 400만 개, 약 480만 달러어치가 탈취된 것을 확인했습니다.https://t.co/q6Ck7lxazK pic.twitter.com/JWnVI5Ua0N

— 조재우(Jaewoo Cho) (@clayop) February 27, 2026

He also examined other wallets whose seed phrases may have been visible in the same image and said those did not appear to carry significant risk.

Cho added that because PRTG tokens are hard to convert into cash, the real financial damage could be far smaller than the headline number suggests. He expressed hope that the incident would push South Korean government agencies to finally build proper systems for holding seized crypto assets.

The NTS has not issued a public response to the incident as of this writing.

A Pattern Of Custody Problems In South Korea

What makes this story harder to ignore is that it did not happen in isolation. Reports say South Korean police separately discovered in February 2026 that 22 Bitcoin seized during a 2021 hacking case had gone missing from a cold wallet kept inside a Gangnam police station vault.

Two suspects were arrested after investigators determined the coins had been moved using a mnemonic phrase that authorities had never held control over.

The coins, worth roughly $1.4 million, are gone.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin price performance was quite disappointing over the past month. The flagship cryptocurrency has struggled to break sustainably above $70,000 throughout February, with prices only reaching $71,000 before facing sharp reversals.

It, then, becomes intuitively evident that this price region might be a key level acting as resistance to Bitcoin’s bullish attempts. Below are some other crucial levels to watch for in March and what they could potentially mean for the Bitcoin price.

BTC Realized Price Sits At $54,600 – What This Means 

In a Quicktake post on the CryptoQuant platform, market analyst Burak Kesmeci highlighted five “cost clusters” that might reveal the next move for the Bitcoin price. For context, Cost clusters are essentially price levels that represent the average acquisition price of an asset (Bitcoin, in this case) by different investor cohorts

To start with, Kesmeci immediately revealed Bitcoin’s surest support price — the realized price — to be around the $54,600 mark. The realized price is a strong support region because it reflects the average cost basis of all the BTC in circulation.

Also, realized prices have historically served as long-term price support during bear phases. As a result, when the Bitcoin price trades above this level, it is often a sign of extant structural strength, while a break beneath the realized price is usually a sign of impending doom.

Bitcoin Could Switch Bullish In March — But On This Condition

While the Bitcoin price may be displaying its higher timeframe backing, it is also true that the world’s leading cryptocurrency has a series of battles to fight as it ascends. According to the crypto pundit, four resistance zones lie in wait to reject possible upward recovery. 

The first of these zones is the 1 – 4-Week Realized Price, which reveals the average price at which recent buyers entered the BTC market. According to the highlighted CryptoQuant data, this cost basis stands at around the $71,600 level. 

When the Bitcoin price trades beneath this level, it signals that the latest participants are under severe heat. Hence, recovery attempts towards this price level would typically be met with significant resistance, as this cohort would want to exit at break-even.

The analyst further highlighted that the Short-Term Holder Realized Price (STH RP) is around $90,800; this concerns investors who have held BTC for less than 155 days. If the Bitcoin price manages to overcome the evident resistance at this level, it could signal a change in Bitcoin’s trend from bearish to bullish. 

Beyond the STH RP, the 365-day Simple Moving Average sits, occupying the $98,900 price level; then, a little more up North, the 3–6 Month Realized Price stands around $100,800. These metrics reflect the activity of Bitcoin’s medium-term holders, showing their realized price and average closing prices over the past year.

In the grand scheme, Bitcoin is clearly in a bearish phase. Thus, before March can stand as the pivotal month for market participants, BTC has to overcome those critical resistance levels. As of this writing, Bitcoin is valued at around $63,696, reflecting an over 5% decline in the past 24 hours.

In a significant move, Morgan Stanley has submitted an application for a new national bank charter that will enable it to offer crypto custody and staking services. This report comes days after the recently appointed head of digital asset strategy, Amy Oldenburg, confirmed the financial services giant’s digital asset push.

Morgan Stanley Continues To Bet On Digital Asset Industry With Fresh OCC Filing

According to a Bloomberg report on Friday, February 27th, Morgan Stanley filed for a de novo national trust bank charter to allow it custody digital assets. The Wall Street behemoth said in its application that the charter will also be used to conduct crypto trading and staking for its investment clients.

Bloomberg reported that the application, through Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, was filed on February 18th, according to the website of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The firm will offer its digital asset management services throughout the United States, with its main office in Purchase, New York, the filing showed.

This move reinforces Morgan Stanley’s strategic push for crypto and the broader digital asset industry. Earlier in January, the financial services giant filed for Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, while also forging a new head of digital-asset strategy role for Oldenburg.

As reported by Bitcoinist, Oldenburg revealed that Morgan Stanley’s near-term goal is to enable E*Trade clients to buy and sell spot crypto, initially via a partnership before possibly moving to a native custody and exchange solution.

Oldenburg said about crypto custody:

It’s a totally different environment to know that you are custodying your assets,” Oldenburg continued. “You have legal custody with Morgan Stanley, and Morgan Stanley is overseeing those assets for you. There’s always those that are going to want to self-custody. That’s a natural part of this space, especially in the Bitcoin space.

Morgan Stanley’s recent moves highlight a growing trend since the start of President Donald Trump’s latest administration, especially among Wall Street firms, as they soften their crypto stance and venture into the digital asset industry. The United States president has been a vocal supporter of the crypto industry, while pushing for regulatory clarity in the space.

Crypto Market Capitalization Takes A Tumble

As of this writing, the global cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at $2.34 trillion, reflecting an over 2% decline in the past 24 hours.

Курс первой криптовалюты опустился ниже $64 000 после сообщений о скоординированных ударах США и Израиля по территории Ирана.